OSCE workshop promotes international co-operation, public-private partnerships to protect critical energy infrastructure from terrorist attacks

VIENNA, 11 February 2010 - Protecting critical energy infrastructure from terrorist attacks is the focus of an OSCE workshop for public and private sector experts that started in Vienna today.

During the two-day meeting, some 200 participants will discuss options for co-operation and good practices to enhance the protection of critical energy infrastructure across the OSCE region. The second day will feature a tabletop simulation highlighting the need for measures to prevent and to prepare for terrorist attacks against critical energy infrastructure.

"Energy infrastructure security is of utmost importance for all OSCE participating States," said Kazakh Ambassador Kairat Abdrakhmanov, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council. "A terrorist attack against a critical energy infrastructure may happen in one country, but it would have a disruptive impact on all countries and stakeholders along the energy supply chain."

Raphael Perl, Head on Anti-Terrorism Issues at the OSCE Secretariat, added: "Enhancing co-operation between the relevant actors is essential, and the OSCE is well placed to play a role in these efforts. Bringing together 56 participating States and 12 Partners for Co-operation, the Organization is in a unique position to raise awareness, identify responses, disseminate good practices and promote dialogue and co-operation among governments, as well as the public and private sectors."

William N. Bryan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration, U.S. Department of Energy, commented: "We face a sophisticated threat that seeks to disrupt our way of life and damage economic prosperity. Disrupting or denying the flow of energy not only impacts individual nations but brings instability to the global market. A global threat can only be defeated with a cooperative and coordinated multilateral response and I applaud the OSCE for addressing this challenge."

The OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit is organizing the event with financial support from the United States and Liechtenstein. The tabletop simulation is based on a scenario developed in collaboration with two U.S. not-for-profit non-governmental organizations, Securing America's Future Energy and Constellation Energy Institute.